PHP & MySQL® Web Development All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies®

5.2. Installing XAMPP

After you've downloaded XAMPP, follow these steps to install it:

1. Navigate to the location where you saved the downloaded XAMPP file.

   The file is named something like xampp-win32-1.6.2-installer.exe.

2. Double-click the file.

   The Setup Wizard starts.

3. Read and click through the next few screens until the Choose Install Location screen appears, as shown in Figure 5-1.

   Figure 5-1. The Choose Install Location screen of the Setup Wizard.

   

   It's best to accept the default location (c:\xampp) unless you have a really good reason to choose another location. You can click Browse to select another install folder.

   If you're installing on Vista, you cannot install in the Program Files folder because of a protection problem. Also, PHP sometimes has a problem running if it's installed in a folder with a space in the path or filename, such as Program Files.

4. When you've chosen the install folder, click Next.

   The XAMPP Options screen appears, as shown in Figure 5-2.

5. Under SERVICE SECTION, select the Install Apache as Service and the Install MySQL as Service check boxes.

   This installs the tools as Windows services, which causes them to start automatically when the computer starts.

   Figure 5-2. The XAMPP Options screen of the Setup Wizard.

6. Click the Install button.

   The installation process ...